Chapter 56: Father Bunny

Chapter 56: Father Bunny

Upon hearing the voice, Zhu Yunxuan felt his blood freeze, and his hand on Rong'er's waist unconsciously tightened. Rong'er, unaware, hesitated, wanting to reach for the lantern but too afraid. It was only when Zhu Yunxuan softly prompted him, "If Rong'er wants it, take it," that the child happily accepted the lantern, gratefully thanking the man, "Thank you, Uncle."

Liang Zhen's gaze lingered on Zhu Yunxuan's wrist, his smile deepening. Zhu Yunxuan, coming back to his senses, switched arms to hold the child and subtly pulled down his sleeve. Nodding at Liang Zhen without revealing any emotion, he said coolly, "Thank you."

As they passed by, Liang Zhen lifted his hand slightly, causing Zhu Yunxuan's gaze to sharpen. The guard behind him instantly stepped forward, drawing half of his long sword, vigilantly watching Liang Zhen.

Liang Zhen clicked his tongue, his eyes never leaving Zhu Yunxuan's face. He saw Zhu Yunxuan's lowered eyelashes, hiding all his emotions beneath their veil.

After a brief standoff, Liang Zhen moved aside. Zhu Yunxuan, holding Rong'er, walked away without looking back.

Rong'er, resting his head on Zhu Yunxuan's shoulder, turned his head to watch Liang Zhen, who stood rooted in place, watching them disappear into the distance. Sensing Zhu Yunxuan's change in mood, the child timidly called out, "Uncle..."

Zhu Yunxuan gently patted his back and reassured him in a soft voice, "It's alright."

"Uncle was watching us."

"..."

After that, Zhu Yunxuan wandered distractedly through the marketplace with the child for a long while. Eventually, he stumbled upon Zhu Yunjing and the others at a stall filled with street performers. Seeing that Zhu Yunxuan had been cheerful earlier but now looked utterly lost, Zhu Yunjing raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Rong'er was holding up his rabbit lantern to show off to Ming'er, saying, "Look at my little rabbit lantern. Isn't it adorable? An uncle gave it to me."

Zhu Yunjing: "..."

He glanced at the absent-minded Zhu Yunxuan, wanting to say something but ultimately deciding against it. Instead, he suggested, "Let's go ahead and see what's there."

They continued walking until they reached the seashore. As the night deepened, everyone gathered there to release sky lanterns as a form of prayer.

The lanterns, one by one, ascended slowly into the air, their glowing lights shimmering like stars against the dark sky.

Rong'er tilted his head back, his eyes fixed on the lanterns drifting further and further away. Occasionally, he would let out an exclamation of wonder. Zhu Yunjing and He Huailing were already leading Ming'er to release a lantern. The child tugged at Zhu Yunxuan's hand, looking at him eagerly. "Uncle, I want to release a lantern too."

Zhu Yunxuan pushed aside the turmoil in his mind and nodded. "Alright."

Arriving at a stall selling sky lanterns, Zhu Yunxuan asked for paper and a pen. With the brush in hand, he hesitated, unsure of what to write. After a moment of silence, he softly asked the child, "Rong'er, do you have any wishes?"

The child pondered earnestly before shaking his head. Zhu Yunxuan sighed softly and finally wrote down the four characters "Harmony and Tranquility" on the paper.

He handed the brush back to the stall owner, but as he did, he froze once more. The person across from him had somehow turned into the masked individual, who had taken the brush and paper from Zhu Yunxuan's hand with a smile. On the back of the slip of paper, he added three more characters: "Peace Each Day."

Handing the lantern with the prayer note to Zhu Yunxuan, Liang Zhen blinked his eyes and promptly vanished in the crowd. Zhu Yunxuan stood there in a daze until Rong'er softly called out to him, jolting him back to reality.

"Uncle, what were you looking at?"

"Nothing... Let's go release the lanterns up front."

By the time they returned to the Commander's residence, it was almost midnight. Exhausted from the festivities, Rong'er had already fallen asleep in Zhu Yunxuan's arms in the carriage. Zhu Yunxuan carried him out and offered him to Zhu Yunjing, who refused and reminded him, "Didn't you want to sleep with him? Since he's asleep now, just take him to your room."

Zhu Yunxuan glanced at the child in his arms and gently shook his head. "Forget it. If he wakes up and doesn't see you, he might cry."

"You overthink things too much," Zhu Yunjing chided.

As they spoke, the child began to stir, rubbing his eyes awake. Half-asleep, he saw Zhu Yunxuan and instinctively clung tighter to his arm. Zhu Yunxuan's heart skipped a beat, and he whispered, "Rong'er, would you like to sleep with Uncle tonight?"

The child finally regained full consciousness, looked at Zhu Yunxuan, then turned to glance at Zhu Yunjing. After much hesitation, he nodded. "Okay."

Zhu Yunxuan held the child tightly, and Zhu Yunjing chuckled. "I told you, after you spent one night with him, he'd become attached to you."

Zhu Yunxuan laughed through teary eyes. "Mm."

Carrying the child back to their quarters, Zhu Yunxuan was still in a daze, but Gao An was overjoyed. Swiftly, he directed the servants to attend to Zhu Yunxuan and the young prince's grooming and changing, being excessively attentive.

"Your Highness, are you still hungry? Would you like a midnight snack? Should this servant send for someone to prepare it for you?"

Rong'er sat in Zhu Yunxuan's embrace, tilting his head as he gazed at Gao An, whose smile revealed all his teeth. It seemed he hadn't realized that Gao An was speaking to him. He looked up at Zhu Yunxuan. "Uncle, who is he?"

Zhu Yunxuan affectionately stroked his son's little face and instructed Gao An, "Go to the kitchen yourself and see what dishes our cooks can prepare. They should know what Rong'er likes to eat. Don't make too much, or he won't be able to sleep later."

"At your service! This servant will go right away!"

Rong'er wriggled in Zhu Yunxuan's arms and whispered, "Uncle, were those little rabbits and puppies made of bamboo a gift from you?"

Zhu Yunxuan rubbed his head. "Rong'er knew?"

"Daddy told me…"

"Do you like it, Rong'er?"

"Very much!" The child nodded vigorously.

Zhu Yunxuan smiled and said, "Your little uncle got this for you, Rong'er, but those things weren't made by your little uncle. They were... made by an uncle for you."

Rong'er blinked gently. "Which uncle?"

"You'll find out later, Rong'er." Zhu Yunxuan softly pinched the child's palm, not elaborating further.

A small bowl of egg custard was delivered from the kitchen. Zhu Yunxuan held the child and fed him spoonful by spoonful. Rong'er gazed at him for a while, then, as Zhu Yunxuan offered another bite, he whispered, "Little Uncle should eat too. Little Uncle, don't be unhappy anymore."

Zhu Yunxuan snapped back to reality, forcing a smile. "Little Uncle isn't hungry, and I'm not unhappy. Why would you say that, Rong'er?"

The child pouted. "I guessed, Little Uncle. You looked unhappy when you saw that uncle last night..."

Zhu Yunxuan was briefly taken aback. He didn't expect this three-year-old Rong'er to be so perceptive. Exposed by his own son, he felt even more embarrassed, yet he refused to acknowledge it. "No, Little Uncle is happy with Rong'er's company."

"Really?"

"Indeed."

After feeding the child, Zhu Yunxuan took a warm handkerchief from a servant and gently wiped his face. Rong'er remained still, obediently allowing him to tend to him. At the end, he beamed a sweet smile, "Thank you, Little Uncle."

Zhu Yunxuan's heart melted, "Good boy."

Rong'er wrapped his arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek, then, feeling a bit shy, nestled into his embrace and cooed, "Rong'er really likes Little Uncle."

The smile in Zhu Yunxuan's eyes deepened. Lowering his head, he also planted a gentle kiss on the child's soft cheeks, "Little Uncle loves Rong'er too."

Laid down on the bed, the little one was still brimming with excitement, tossing and turning, refusing to sleep. He clung to Zhu Yunxuan's arm, asking for a story.

Zhu Yunxuan patted his back softly and began, "Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit..."

"Rabbit!" The moment he heard 'rabbit', the child's eyes lit up.

"Mm-hmm, the little rabbit was a lonely one. All the other rabbits had fathers, but he didn't. He always asked others why he didn't have a father, but nobody could answer him. Actually, he did have a father – his rabbit father was in the Moon Palace. When the right time came, he would come and take the little rabbit there. But the rabbit father was worried. He wasn't sure if the little rabbit would want to go with him, afraid that the little rabbit wouldn't accept him. Rong'er, do you think the little rabbit would be willing to go to the Moon Palace with his rabbit father?"

The child stared blankly for a while before nodding softly, "He would go."

Zhu Yunxuan's nose tingled, and he kissed Rong'er's forehead with a smile. "Good baby."

Rong'er's dark eyes gazed at him unwaveringly, cautiously asking, "Little Uncle, are you my father?"

Seeing the child's hopeful yet anxious expression, Zhu Yunxuan was slightly taken aback. He stammered, "Does Rong'er want me to be your father?"

The child pouted, his eyes gradually reddening. "I already have a father, but Nanny says he's not my real father... Wuh..."

Zhu Yunxuan embraced the child, feeling both guilty and heartbroken. He choked back tears as he spoke, "Rong'er, don't cry. Be good, you do have a father. I am your real father. Father is here to take you to the Moon Palace. Will you come with Father, Rong'er?"

"Why didn't Father want Rong'er before?"

The little one sobbed in his arms, struggling to catch his breath. Zhu Yunxuan sat up, holding the child, patting his back to help him regain his composure while soothing him. "Father's good baby, don't cry. It was Father's fault. From now on, Father will never abandon Rong'er again."

Outside the door, Zhu Yunjing paused in his step. He had come specifically to check on the pair who had been on his mind. Hearing the faint voices from within, Zhu Yunjing sighed with a smile and decided not to push the door open. After a moment's pause, he turned and left.

Inside the inn, Liang Zhen leaned by the window, silently gazing in the direction of the Commander's residence. The only thing visible through the darkness was a faint glow of lights.

The night's shadows seeped into his dark eyes, obscuring any emotions hidden within.

A servant entered, gently pushing the door open to serve him tea. Noticing his demeanor, they hesitantly inquired, "Young General, we've been here for nearly two months now. When shall we return?"

Liang Zhen closed his eyes, a hint of a smile curving his lips. "Why the rush? Our business here is not yet concluded."